Center your story around someone who’s boiling over with anger, frustration, or jealousy.

Posted in Angst on Jan 24, 2025

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✍️ 56 stories

“Threads of Memory” by Higdon Donell Armstrong V

Submitted to Contest #287

In the city of Brightmoor, your soul wasn’t private. It was written on your skin. Life Threads, intricate tattoos that grew and shifted with every emotion, told the story of who you were. Joy painted streaks of gold; love etched soft pinks; anger burned jagged black scars. Your thread was both your truth and your sentence.Nora Gray hated hers. Deep black streaks twisted and coiled across her arms, remnants of years spent drowning in envy and rage. Faint traces of blue and yellow peeked through—a life that once held promise, was now smothered...

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“Well Beyond The Fence” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #287

"I'm gonna take a freight trainDown at the station, LordI don't care where it goesGonna climb a mountainThe highest mountainI'll jump off, nobody gonna know”- The Marshall Tucker BandI'm so angry. I did my best. I really did.That road from the army base where we live now, running out west towards that looted Costo outlet near Corvallis, is littered with abandoned cars and trucks, all rusting out, tires flat, gas tank lids and caps open. I know all the places where you have to go off-road to get around them, but there are always things you ju...

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“A CUP OF CHAOS” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #287

Alice's fingers tightened around the teapot's handle, her knuckles going white. With a grunt of frustration, she slammed the porcelain down on the table, the sound so sharp it made her teeth ache. It ricocheted off the walls, a shrill reminder of how lovely her life had become. Tea sloshed over the rim and splattered onto the tablecloth, leaving behind an amber trail that bled out like some tragic story of her morning. The stain spread slowly, mocking her, a perfect match for the furious fire crackling behind her eyes. If she could hurl the ...

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“Friday Night Lights” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #287

Friday night lights,Small town,High school football game,The place to be.All the big fishSwimming in a tiny pondAre there.A raven haired girl on the dance teamShakes her shiny pom poms,Flashes a killer smile,It’s her sweet sixteen birthday.She is pretty and popular.Life is good.She prances in front ofAn adoring crowd withHer select pack of friends.Fellow mean girls.Everyone thinks it’s coolTo be a pom pom girl,Not everyone makes the cut.Another boy,A lowly freshman,Sits on hard, cold bleachers,With his newly made, Wallflower friendsExci...

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“The Canary's Lament” by E.M. O'Hair

Submitted to Contest #287

Margaret looked out her kitchen window, across her small backyard to the Dutch Elm on which a birdhouse had been affixed by her late husband, Alan. Winged creatures came and went, bringing sticks, threads, and whatever else they found suitable to build a home with.How much longer would she enjoy this view? Her family, ten children in all, who were now spread throughout the United States, were set that this would be her last spring in the home. The home she had built with Alan. The last spring she would spend in the home she had raised those ...

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“You can't always have what you want” by Laura Camacho Frias

Submitted to Contest #287

After weeks of messages, everyone was in town. The last time I had shared coffee with my girlfriends had been six months before, during the Christmas holiday. That rainy afternoon, while they told me horror stories about children's presents and family dinners, I smiled inside, grateful for my simpler life, which did not require as much work or stress as theirs seemed to. I could not stop wondering what the point of such a daily rush and continuous pressure was when it was clear to me that it did not make them as happy as they pretended to be...

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“Sandeep's Oolong Tea” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #287

"Arrogant prick. Someone needs to put that guy in his place," Jaspreet said."I agree," Sandeep said."I mean, did you hear what he said?" The lines on her forehead were prominent."I know, right?" Sandeep agreed."Perhaps he needs a minor mishap or discomfort to understand others better," Jaspreet's nostrils flared."Yup." Unaware of the traffic and people around them, the two girls walked down the road. Their conversation was all about Ravi. His classroom behaviour offended Jaspreet. She was extremely offended by his foul language. Sandeep worr...

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“Evening Up the Score” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #287

Sammy LaVecca, Jr., thought to himself as he boiled with anger: Jepson Hamilton, the stupid shyster bought and paid for by my dad, Sammy, Sr., goose stepped to my late father’s every command. He creatively manipulated dad’s will to deprive me of the millions that rightfully belonged to me. Now I will make sure the lawyer pays me back with his life. For eight years I ...

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“The Last Bastion of Bitterness” by Elizabeta Zargi

Submitted to Contest #287

The tiny bell above the café door jingled as Milo Samaras stepped inside. His long white hair framed a gaunt face that had once commanded attention but now drew mostly curious glances or, at best, polite indifference. Dressed in flowing garments that could loosely be described as inspired by a sari, Milo deliberately projected an air of intellectual mystique. Yet, to most onlookers, his attempt to exude sophistication only highlighted his eccentricity, his theatrical presence falling short of the gravitas he so desperately sought. Toda...

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“Dirty Buisness” by Jamilah Christian

Submitted to Contest #287

Samuel was starting to deeply regret agreeing to join his company’s yearly hunting trip. He had told his fiance, Alice, as much that same morning and she had laughed in understanding. “It’s not even just the hunting part of it,” He had grumbled. “It’s these men. They’re always trying to discreetly one-up each other to try to get ahead. I feel like I'm in a pissing contest whenever I'm around them.”She had shrugged, telling him that maybe he should consider it. “You’ve just been promoted, it might be a good idea to spend some t...

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“Bloody Tea Leaves and Fuckin Coffee Beans ” by Shinga Shinga

Submitted to Contest #287

1.They banned folks from toting teapots and kettles.Classifying them as weapons of war.Frank remembers clearly that day, the day dictator-in-chief declared a state of emergency. Remembers all the stooges and quislings who clapped. Remembers the collective liberal orgasm. And how the elites, academics and cultural icons collectively smirked.Then came the run-of-the-mill anecdotes.Soldiers whose scalded limbs had been or had to be amputated. Women whose lives had been altered because the long arm of the law couldn't prevent their partners from...

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“Breaking the Dam” by Steve Mowles

Submitted to Contest #287

Little Jimmy Breeze was one of the smallest guys in the tenderloin district but he was notorious for pouring his angry wrath on anyone who had the misfortune of encountering him. His volcanic nature had made many enemies but his quick wit and devious ways kept him one step ahead of any serious consequences. He had evaded the wrath from the West Side Gang and the cops couldn’t catch him. He was great at dodging trouble but this morning he couldn’t escape the aching thirst that was gnawing at his hard, protective shell.The pain inside his...

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“Man Flu Chronicles” by Fawn Murphy

Submitted to Contest #287

Man Flu Chronicles The comforting aroma of chamomile and the sweet scent of frosted cake filled the cozy café. Clara leaned back in her chair, swirling her tea bag in the steaming cup. Across the table, her best friend, Mia, listened intently, her head tilted in that familiar way that said, I’m all ears. “You won’t believe what Tom is doing right now,” Mia began, her voice teetering between exasperation and disbelief. She set her spoon down with a little too much force, causing her tea to ripple in protest. Clara raised an eyebrow, leaning c...

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“The Dog License” by Luigi Conte

Submitted to Contest #287

“I’m telling you, this isn’t right. What do you mean I have to file an 18-1B? And then wait in another line?” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Sorry, sir. That’s the policy.” She played with the pearls that she wore around her neck. “Policy? Are you kidding me?” I pushed my finger and thumb across my moustache. “Do I look like I’m kidding you?” Her eyes bugged out, and she recoiled her neck. “No reason to get testy.” I straightened out my tie. “Testy? You think I’m being testy? No, sir.” She sat upright in her chair. “I beg you...

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“a neighbours madness” by Rebecca Maric

Submitted to Contest #287

in an old housing complex in a sydney suburb ,which not such a quiet little suburb like once a few years back ,for changed over years gone by with more loud cars driving through day in and day out,as a book reader of a woman of the housing block didnt seem to be be bothered by the heavy sounding of the traffic,ratchel a middle aged woman just read books day in and day out of her own collection she had stolen over years from local street libraries,now down below ratchel second floor unit lived an old sixty year old scraggly haired woman with ...

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Center your story around someone who’s boiling over with anger, frustration, or jealousy.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 56 stories

“Threads of Memory” by Higdon Donell Armstrong V

“Well Beyond The Fence” by Thomas Wetzel

“A CUP OF CHAOS” by Darvico Ulmeli

“Friday Night Lights” by Kim Olson

“The Canary's Lament” by E.M. O'Hair

“You can't always have what you want” by Laura Camacho Frias

“Sandeep's Oolong Tea” by Lily Finch

“Evening Up the Score” by Bob Faszczewski

“The Last Bastion of Bitterness” by Elizabeta Zargi

“Dirty Buisness” by Jamilah Christian

“Bloody Tea Leaves and Fuckin Coffee Beans ” by Shinga Shinga

“Breaking the Dam” by Steve Mowles

“Man Flu Chronicles” by Fawn Murphy

“The Dog License” by Luigi Conte

“a neighbours madness” by Rebecca Maric

🌟 Similar prompts

Start or end your story with a character making a cup of tea for themself or someone else.

Set your story in a café, garden, or restaurant.

Write a story with a character pouring out their emotions.

Start or end your story with someone being soothed by a hug or words of comfort.

Contest #287

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

408

Contest entries

173

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: